Cell culture insert

A cell-supporting membrane separation device is provided in a cell culture insert to ease the use of conventional instrumentation for subsequent examination. The cell culture insert is provided with a microporous membrane (16) forming the bottom wall as the cell culturing surface of the insert. The insert includes a support mechanism (20) for holding the insert suspended in a selected position in a multi-well plate for culturing, and a break-away mechanism (22) to separate the support mechanism from the membrane supporting portion of the insert, once the degree of cell culture activity has taken place. The break-away concept of the invention accommodates several different embodiments of insert with an appropriate break-away pattern.